Dog Off Leash

Puppy

We were talking when Joe* whipped the U-turn, parked the cruiser and took a deep breath. A Rottweiler was loose and sitting on the front lawn. Joe spoke into the radio, walked across the street and started talking to the dog.

 Puppy and I seemed equally surprised.

View from windshield

Puppy shifted his one hundred and thirty pound frame from a sitting to standing position. He cocked his head and seemed to say, "Really Joe? You're walking on my lawn." Undeterred, Joe kept talking and walking slowly toward Puppy.

There was no Invisible Fence; no leash; no owner to gather Puppy. A cop, a big dog, scared neighbors and a chaplain all waited.  Puppy made the next move: he started walking toward Joe.

Joe patted his thigh and Puppy rubbed his forehead on Joe's leg. Then Puppy turned in a circle and did a little dance. Puppy wanted to play!

Lansing Neighborhood

Joe put the dog in the backyard, attempted to contact the owner and reassured neighbors. He never broke a sweat, put the police cruiser in drive and picked up our conversation as if there hadn't been a U-turn.

U-turn-whipping, dog-whispering, leg-patting cops need prayer.  We need people willing to speak kindly to dogs as frightened neighbors watch. Some puppies aren't so nice.

God made the dogs, the neighbors, the cops and the pet owners.  As a chaplain, I have the privilege of reminding each of them that God cares about the work they do.

*Not real name of officer.